COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The following is an exact transcript of NBC 4's Patrick Preston's report, exactly as it was shown on NBC 4 at 6 p.m. on May 15, 2008.

Anchor: Ohio teachers are working under a new code of conduct implemented earlier this year and NBC 4 has learned that for the first time, the state is recommending discipline against a teacher based on their online social networking profile.

The state won't say which teacher or district.

But as Target 4's Patrick Preston reports, embarrassing photos and candid conversations can come back to haunt you at work.

Preston: A generation of young adults has grown up in the digital world, baring their personal lives for all to see on Web sites like Facebook.com and MySpace.com.

It's the kind of openness you might expect on a reality TV show, like this Columbus-area ninth-grade instructor who asks the question, "Are you hot for teacher?" She lists among her favorite activities, "Lots of alcohol consumption."

Jim Miller: "I think you do have to respect that teachers have private lives, but yet also teachers have to understand that their private lives when they put it in a possible public domain, it does become public view."

Preston: Jim Miller leads the Ohio Department of Education's office of professional conduct. His office investigates code of conduct violations, including the new provision dealing with social networking profiles.

Miller: "If a teacher would use technology to intentionally host or post improper or inappropriate material, that could reasonably be accessed by the school community."

Preston: "You don't have to be a detective to find photos of teachers downing beer or using inappropriate language online. You don't even need a teacher's name. We visited the Facebook Web site that's popular with teens and adults.

Looking in the Columbus area, we used the search term "teachers" and found several eye-opening admissions. Like this Central Ohio coach who claims to drink beer any chance he gets. He write, "I do nothing but teach, coach and drink beer." Among his photos that any student could access, (is) a shot of the coach in a Speedo, with a beer in the foreground.

Miller: "We typically leave alcohol alone in regards to teachers because they're of age and it's something they can do."

Preston: This substitute teacher in the Columbus Public School System says she's molding the minds of Central Ohio's youth. Her profile is laced with profanity, she jokes about the Bible being a work of fiction, while her friends openly discuss her recent arrest for drunk driving.

If you or a student visits the web profile for this teacher's aide in Chillicothe, you'll be asked about your secret sexual fantasy, your favorite Kama Sutra position and, if you're a girl, what type of underwear best represents you. We tried to reach him, but he did not return our messages.

Preston (to Miller): "Do you think they're appropriate?

Miller: "Do I, personally? No, I don't think they are. I think every teacher needs to take a hard look at their Facebook and MySpace pages and say, 'Is this something I'd want my student to see?'"

Preston: All of the teacher profiles that we found can be seen by the more than 145,000 members in Facebook's Columbus network, including students who sign up for their own free Facebook account.

Teachers in several states, including Virginia and Texas have been fired for posting nude photos online. In Ohio, the punishment for inappropriate material can range from written reprimand to suspension to termination.

As a result, the largest teacher's union in Ohio has gone so far as to urge teachers to remove their profiles from the Web sites. Forget using discretion and judgment.

Rachelle Johnson: "You need to be careful if you use these sites and our recommendation is you don't."

Preston: "It's not just educators who are feeling the heat. A 2007 study found four out of five recruiters use web searches to find out more about job applicants.

Teachers and others who don't want to give up their web profile have the option of limiting who can view it with privacy settings. But not everybody knows about that option or feels they need to use it.

Take the substitute teacher from Columbus. She said she didn't know the teacher code of conduct dealt with Facebook profiles. Even so, she may be protected. The key question being asked is, "Does the teacher's action harm students and their ability to teach them?"

The beer-drinking, Speedo-wearing coach was a different story. When reached by phone, he told us he didn't realize students could see his profile. He even felt embarrassed. After we talked with him, he took his profile down.

Patrick Preston, NBC 4.

Anchor: We chose not to name the teachers in tonight's story. Our point was not to see them punished, but to show how easy it is to see what they're doing outside of the classroom. Several local school districts told us that, like the state, they don't search for teacher profiles unless they receive a complaint.